Soft-Decision-Driven Sparse Channel Estimation and Turbo Equalization for MIMO Underwater Acoustic Communications

Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) detection based on turbo principle has been shown to provide a great enhancement in the throughput and reliability of underwater acoustic (UWA) communication systems. Benefits of the iterative detection in MIMO systems, however, can be obtained only when a high quality channel estimation is ensured. In this paper, we develop a new soft-decision-driven sparse channel estimation and turbo equalization scheme in the triply selective MIMO UWA. First, the Homotopy recursive least square dichotomous coordinate descent (Homotopy RLS-DCD) adaptive algorithm, recently proposed for sparse single-input single-output system identification, is extended to adaptively estimate rapid time-varying MIMO sparse channels. Next, the more reliable a posteriori soft-decision symbols, instead of the hard decision symbols or the a priori soft-decision symbols, at the equalizer output, are not only feedback to the Homotopy RLS-DCD-based channel estimator but also to the minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) equalizer. As the turbo iterations progress, the accuracy of channel estimation and the quality of the MMSE equalizer are improved gradually, leading to the enhancement in the turbo equalization performance. This also allows the reduction in pilot overhead. The proposed receiver has been tested by using the data collected from the SHLake2013 experiment. The performance of the receiver is evaluated for various modulation schemes, channel estimators, and MIMO sizes. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed a posteriori soft-decision-driven sparse channel estimation based on the Homotopy RLS-DCD algorithm and turbo equalization offer considerable improvement in system performance over other turbo equalization schemes

Low-complexity iterative receiver algorithms for multiple-input multiple-output underwater wireless communications

This dissertation proposes three low-complexity iterative receiver algorithms for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. First is a bidirectional soft-decision feedback Turbo equalizer (Bi-SDFE) which harvests the time-reverse diversity in severe multipath MIMO channels. The Bi-SDFE outperforms the original soft-decision feedback Turbo equalizer (SDFE) while keeping its total computational complexity similar to that of the SDFE. Second, this dissertation proposes an efficient direct adaptation Turbo equalizer for MIMO UWA communications. Benefiting from the usage of soft-decision reference symbols for parameter adaptation as well as the iterative processing inside the adaptive equalizer, the proposed algorithm is efficient in four aspects: robust performance in tough channels, high spectral efficiency with short training overhead, time efficient with fast convergence and low complexity in hardware implementation. Third, a frequency-domain soft-decision block iterative equalizer combined with iterative channel estimation is proposed for the uncoded single carrier MIMO systems with high data efficiency. All the three new algorithms are evaluated by data recorded in real world ocean experiment or pool experiment. Finally, this dissertation also compares several Turbo equalizers in single-input single-output (SISO) UWA channels. Experimental results show that the channel estimation based Turbo equalizers are robust in SISO underwater transmission under harsh channel conditions --Abstract, page iv

Graphical model driven methods in adaptive system identification

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 2016Identifying and tracking an unknown linear system from observations of its inputs and outputs is a problem at the heart of many different applications. Due to the complexity and rapid variability of modern systems, there is extensive interest in solving the problem with as little data and computation as possible. This thesis introduces the novel approach of reducing problem dimension by exploiting statistical structure on the input. By modeling the input to the system of interest as a graph-structured random process, it is shown that a large parameter identification problem can be reduced into several smaller pieces, making the overall problem considerably simpler. Algorithms that can leverage this property in order to either improve the performance or reduce the computational complexity of the estimation problem are developed. The first of these, termed the graphical expectation-maximization least squares (GEM-LS) algorithm, can utilize the reduced dimensional problems induced by the structure to improve the accuracy of the system identification problem in the low sample regime over conventional methods for linear learning with limited data, including regularized least squares methods. Next, a relaxation of the GEM-LS algorithm termed the relaxed approximate graph structured least squares (RAGS-LS) algorithm is obtained that exploits structure to perform highly efficient estimation. The RAGS-LS algorithm is then recast into a recursive framework termed the relaxed approximate graph structured recursive least squares (RAGSRLS) algorithm, which can be used to track time-varying linear systems with low complexity while achieving tracking performance comparable to much more computationally intensive methods. The performance of the algorithms developed in the thesis in applications such as channel identification, echo cancellation and adaptive equalization demonstrate that the gains admitted by the graph framework are realizable in practice. The methods have wide applicability, and in particular show promise as the estimation and adaptation algorithms for a new breed of fast, accurate underwater acoustic modems. The contributions of the thesis illustrate the power of graphical model structure in simplifying difficult learning problems, even when the target system is not directly structured.The work in this thesis was supported primarily by the Office of Naval Research through an ONR Special Research Award in Ocean Acoustics; and at various times by the National Science Foundation, the WHOI Academic Programs Office and the MIT Presidential Fellowship Program